1. Field of the Disclosed Subject Matter
The disclosed subject matter relates to the intraluminal delivery of a medical device and a medical device system regarding the same. More particularly, the presently disclosed subject matter relates to a medical device system including a catheter and a pusher device insertable into a lumen of the catheter.
2. Description of Related Subject Matter
Intraluminal treatment thus often involves delivery of a catheter or delivery device through various body lumens. For example, but not limitation, various diseases and conditions of the vasculature can be treated using interventional devices such as catheters. Cardiovascular disease is prevalent in the United States and in other parts of the world. One manifestation of cardiovascular disease is atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of plaque (or fatty deposits) on the walls of blood vessels, such as coronary and peripheral arteries. This buildup of plaque can grow large enough to reduce or occlude blood flow through the blood vessel. Furthermore, serious damage can result if an area of plaque ruptures from the vessel wall and forms a clot, which can travel to another part of the body. If the blood vessels that feed the heart are blocked, a heart attack can result. If the blood vessels to the brain are blocked, a stroke can result.
Athersclerosis can be treated through the use of a balloon catheter to open the occlusion, using a technique generally known as angioplasty. Furthermore, physicians can treat atherosclerosis by implanting a tubular endoprosthesis such as a stent at the narrowed or blocked segment of the blood vessel. The endoprosthesis when expanded widens and holds open the blood vessel. To perform this procedure, the stent is delivered to the site of the lesion in the blood vessel by a catheter assembly, otherwise known as a stent delivery device. The stent delivery device enters the vasculature of the patient through the femoral artery and travels through a tortuous path to the site of the lesion. The physician positions the stent across the lesion and deploys the stent. In its expanded configuration, the stent can maintain the patency of the blood vessel. For details of example stents, see for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,768 (Lau, et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,615 (Klemm, et al.), which are incorporated herein by reference. A balloon catheter likewise can be used for subsequent stent placement in the vessel wall.
To position the balloon and/or stent at the lesion site, the catheter is designed to have suitable pushability (i.e., ability to transmit force along the length of the catheter), trackability, and flexibility, to be readily advanceable within the tortuous anatomy of the vasculature. However, given the tortuous path of the vascular system to the lesion site and the possibility of obstructions, for example, movement of the catheter or delivery device can be inhibited or precluded within the blood vessel. For example, plaque or the like can create a chronic total occlusion within the vessel, and thus prevent passage of the catheter or delivery device thereacross. Similar issues likewise arise in other body lumens.
Hence, there remains a need to develop a medical device system and method to assist in distal movement of a catheter within the vasculature or other body lumens of a patient.